Shaquille O'Neal for Lake County sheriff — or is he just joking?

When he announced his retirement last month, basketball superstar Shaquille O'Neal said he might apply to be Lake County undersheriff. Now, he is upping the ante. On Saturday, Sentinel sports columnist George Diaz reported that the former center has not ruled out running for sheriff in the region. "Right now, if I were to do it today, it would be Lake County," he said. But the big fella is a world-class jokester, so Sheriff Gary Borders may have little to worry about. In 2004, O'Neal appeared at a fundraiser (left) at Silver Lake Country Club in Leesburg for friend and sheriff candidate Sandy Carpenter.